Quote:
Originally Posted by Enfield
One issue with the NATO fleets is, of course, fuel and maintenance. They require infrastructure for support, including drydocks, machine shops, and there is the matter of armaments. Even if not using the most modern vessels, the main armaments are missiles. So I have a few questions:
1. How many useful ports would still be in operation?
2. How many vessels would it be possible to keep maintained and fully functional?
3. Would MEUs still support the USMC in the Persian Gulf and between Korea-Japan?
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I question how many missiles would be left. One of my co-workers served in the Navy in the 1980's. According to him, in those days, a ship would come in from deployment and all its missiles would be offloaded, serviced, and placed on an outbound ship. There simply weren't enough missiles to equip all the ships at once. This supposedly ended in the Early 90's. I did a little research and this is what I found out through The Navy Fact Files, Wikipedia, FAS, and ALL my reference works (Janes was a big help here). I have no idea how accurate these numbers are. Most of them are the product of a Wiki search (and those are questionable). Today I'll post the Navy's SAMs.
Ship-Launched SAMs:
The US Navy used the following ship-launched SAMs in 1997 (when I have my War getting "HOT");
RIM 66E Standard: This was the main replacement for the Tartar and is commonly employed by the MK13 "One-Armed Bandit" and the "Standard Launcher" (still found on the USS California and USS South Carolina). It can also be fired from the MK26 Twin Armed Launcher and the MK41 VLS Launcher. The RIM-66E has a range of 74km is semi-actively guided to the target (requires target illumination by the firing ship) and CANNOT hit surface skimming missiles. 3,000 missiles were made for service with the US Navy.
RIM 66H Standard (ER): This is an extended-range version of the basic Standard with low-level attack capability and only needing active guidance in the "terminal phase" of the attack. This allows an AEGIS-equipped ship to control multiple missiles at once, even against multiple targets. This missile is MUCH LONGER than the RIM-66E and WILL NOT FIT in the rotary "ring magazine" of the MK13/Standard Launcher (which can only handle 5m long missiles). The range of this missile is 167km and the Navy had 2000 in inventory at the turn of the Century. The Standard ER also demonstrated a capability to hit ships too.
RIM 162 Evolved Sea Sparrow: This was a ground-launched, enhanced ranged variant of the old active radar-homing Sparrow missile (replaced by the AMRAAM on Navy aircraft). It must be actively guided to the target and has moderately good performance against sea-skimming missiles. The issue with it is that the launcher/ship MUST guide the missile to the target. This limits the number of targets that can be engaged. This missile can be fired from the MK29 8-round Launcher, as a quad-packed (4 missiles per cell) subassembly in the MK41 VLS or as a "stand-alone" 2-round Launcher in the MK48 VLS. The range of the Evolved Sea Sparrow is 50km and the Navy had 2,000 in stock by 2000ad.
RIM 116 Rolling Airframe Missile: This is essentially a Sidewinder Missile with an improved FM-92 Stinger Missile's Seeker head fitted to it. It can sense BOTH IR radiation AND zero in on radar emissions. This optically-tracked system will follow a target until the missile "has a lock," at which point the operator (or computer in the SEARAM) can fire a missile. The missile will "self-track" and the operator (or SEARAM computer) can then lock another target. This system is often "ripple-fired." This involves shooting TWO missiles about 2 seconds apart so hit probability is increased. The range of the RAM is 9km and the US Navy either purchased them or converted older Sidewinders to RAMs. There are roughly 1,200 in service during the Twilight War. The RAM can be had in a stand-alone 11-round launcher paired with the Phalanx's radar and computer controller (the SEARAM), a 21-round launcher (MK-144), or a compact 8-round German-made launcher (MK2 SDS).
The Mk41 Vertical Launch System: The VLS came in two versions. The first version is a 30-round unit with 5 extra missiles in a "strike-down canister" that must be loaded manually by the crew. This launcher is divided into FIVE 6-round launch tube units. A 6-round unit has to have the same missile installed (and is programmed for the missile in question). It can launch one missile per second and can handle missiles up to 7.5 meters long.
The "strike-down container" was problematic due to the crew being unable to access the missiles in it in most sea states and an improved MK41 version holding FOUR 8-round launch units (for 32 missiles) and deleting the "strike-down container" emerged. This is the current MK41 unit in use today. The evolution continued with a quad-packed launch container for the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. This means that an 8-round unit will hold 32 ESSM Missiles (greatly increasing a ship's firepower).
I'll post the ASROC, Harpoon and Tomahawk tomorrow.